


I'll be a better man today

by smaragdbird



Category: Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015), Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Family Drama, Fluff and Angst, Kes is temporarily a jerk, M/M, Weddings, he means well, leia talks some sense into him
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-29
Updated: 2018-01-29
Packaged: 2019-03-11 04:41:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,253
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13516776
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/smaragdbird/pseuds/smaragdbird
Summary: Poe flies home to Yavin to break some good news to his dad.He and Finn are getting married.Unfortunately Kes does not approve, doubting that a former First Order stormtrooper could be the right person for Poe.Fortunately Leia has no problem talking sense into stubborn people





	I'll be a better man today

**Author's Note:**

> Written for [this ](http://tfa-kink.dreamwidth.org/3467.html?thread=7846795#cmt7846795) prompt

Poe never recognised how much he missed Yavin until he came back. Each time it hit him how much he had missed the trees and the air and the town that had sprung up where the Rebel base had been. He wondered if Finn would like it here. Rey would, he was sure of that. Rey loved trees and flowers and any kind of plant. But then he and Rey had so much in common that Finn regularly joked that they were long lost siblings. He wanted to show Finn the temple and his mother’s tree and take him to the lake behind the settlement. He didn’t just want to share his past with Finn but he also wanted to give him good memories about Yavin too. Because one day when the fighting was done he wanted to return here and settle down with him. Poe had never been so sure of anything in his life.

He could see his father stand near the house when he touched down next to his mother’s old A wing. Poe jumped out of the cockpit as soon as his ship had landed and pulled his father into a hug.

“It’s good to see you, son”, Kes said warmly. “Rumours are you pulled some crazy stuff against the First Order.”

Poe laughed. “How did you even hear about that?”

“I’ve saved the asses of half the people you call sir and ma’am these days”, Kes replied.

That reminded Poe of something he needed to tell his father, not knowing if he knew already or not. “Han is dead.”

Kes nodded. “I know. Leia told me.”

“So it is General Organa who gives you all the gossip”, Poe said, his father just having confirmed his suspicions.

“And you shouldn’t use your spy techniques on your old man”, Kes countered. “Besides when Luke comes back I need to kick his ass in Shara’s name. Your mother would’ve never let him go vanish like this.”

BB8 had finished with the post-landing procedure of Poe’s ship and appeared next to Poe and beeped at Kes.

“Hello to you too”, Kes said to them. “Heard you had quite an adventure too.”

Without needing further encouragement BB8 threw themselves into their story, almost beeping and chirping faster than what human ears could distinguish.

Kes laughed. “How about”, he interrupted BB8, “You come inside first? It’s much more comfortable.”

BB8 chirped agreeing and then went right back to telling their story as they rolled inside alongside Kes with Poe following his father and his droid with a grin on his face.

/

It took a while for BB8 to finish especially since Kes interrupted them every now and then to ask questions or because Poe added something like his own escape from Jakku.

“Seems you have a rival for BB8’s affection”, Kes teased him over BB8’s gushing about Rey.

Poe shrugged. “I got her best friend, so she gets mine, seems like a fair trade.”

“And who is her best friend?” Kes asked.

“Finn”, Poe said, unable to keep a smile off his face. “The same Finn BB8 just talked about.”

“The one who saved you?” Kes asked. “Does he have a last name as well?”

Poe shook his head. “He didn’t have name at all when we met.”

Kes raised his eyebrows and Poe launched into the story how he and Finn had met and how Finn had saved his life.

“A stormtrooper?” Was the first thing Kes said afterwards with a cool voice. “Why did you never say that before?”

“It’s not important anymore. Finn left the First Order.”

“How very convenient.” Kes crossed his arms over his chest. “Did it never occur to you that ‘Finn’ may be a spy?”

“A spy who helped us to bring down their most effective weapon? That’s ridiculous.”

“He could be playing the long game. Considering your experiences I’m astonished you seemed to have never considered it.”

“Because I know Finn.”

“Whose first act after your rescue was to abandon you.”

“He didn’t abandon me. He had no way of knowing where I had ejected. He searched for me.”

“That’s what he told you.”

Poe noticed that he was getting angry. “If Finn hadn’t been a stormtrooper you wouldn’t be like this.”

“But he is a stormtrooper. That’s not something you can just ignore. Especially not after what happened to the Hosnian System.”

“You’ll have to get used to it”, Poe squared his shoulders. “We’re getting married.”

“Is that why you’ve come here? To get my blessing?”

“Yes.”

“Forget it. I was ready to look past your flings with people who were clearly beneath you. But not this.”

“You don’t even know Finn. You’re judging him on something that he had no control over.”

“He’s been indoctrinated by them for his whole life. How could he ever be anything else?” Kes scoffed. “I am ashamed of you and so would your mother. We didn’t risk our lives to make sure you would grow up free and safe from the empire only to hook up with a stormtrooper”

“I can’t believe you’re bringing mum into this.” Poe stood up. He needed to get out of here before he said something to his father that he would regret. “I’ll have to go back to D’Qar. I’m sure you understand.”

He stormed out of the room. BB8 was in the hallway, talking with his dad’s house droid, Rt7. When they saw Poe, they chirped curiously.

“We’re leaving”, he told bb8. “Right now, come on.”

/

It was a six hour flight back to D’qar but Poe blocked all communication channels. He didn’t want to talk to his father right now. Maybe it had been stupid and childish to storm out of his own home but he had never thought his father react like this. Poe had never brought anyone home, had never wanted to before Finn. Not that there had been many people in the first place. A few relationships that had never gone anywhere because Poe had always been more focused on something else, something he had deemed more important whether that had been flight school or his career or the fight against the First Order.

Finn had changed that. Poe knew that he and Finn, they could make it through everything. They could make it through this too.

When he landed Finn only had to take one look at his face to know that something had gone horribly wrong.

“We could – “Finn started but Poe interrupted him.

“If you’re even thinking the words ‘break up’ forget it. I’m not leaving you just because my father is stubborn.”

Finn’s arms tightened around Poe. “I wasn’t going to say that. I thought we could postpone the wedding. I’m sure your dad will come around.”

“I’m not so sure”, Poe replied. “My dad has made stubbornness into a sport. He could win medals if it was official.”

“Talk to Leia then, or maybe Luke? You said they were friends with your parents. Maybe it’ll help if someone vouches for me who’s not head over heels in love with me.”

“Are you saying my dad was right?” Poe asked teasingly.

“I’m saying that you took one look at my handsome face and were totally gone for me”, Finn grinned.

“You’re not wrong”, Poe said and pulled Finn into a kiss. He needed this now. The closeness and the reassurance that Finn was here, that Finn loved him as much as he loved Finn.

/

“Kes.”

“Leia. Poe told you then?”

“He came back a few hours into his trip back home. He didn’t have to tell me that you two had an argument.”

Kes crossed his arms over his chest. “But you don’t why.”

“I’m guessing it’s about Finn”, Leia replied. She couldn’t imagine that Poe would’ve talked about much except the upcoming wedding.

“He’s a stormtrooper, Leia.”

“He was one. You never held it against Zare that he was one of them as well.”

Kes had the grace to look a little sheepish. “But this is the First Order. They’re worse than the Empire was.”

“Finn is a good man, Kes. He saved Poe from the First Order. And then he got gravely injured helping us to destroy the weapon that had incinerated the Hosnian System.”

“Poe mentioned that”, Kes said unwillingly. “Doesn’t mean it isn’t a ploy.”

Leia shook her head. “Come to the wedding, Kes. I know it would mean the world to Poe and Finn.”

“He’s my only child, Leia. I can’t just stand by and let him make the wrong choice.”

“Get to know Finn first”, Leia said. “And you’ll see that Poe has made the right choice.”

“You really trust him?”

“I do. And so does Luke. And so did Han.”

“I’m sorry, I didn’t want to –“

“It’s fine”, Leia interrupted him. “I know what it’s like to be estranged from your child. Don’t let that happen to you and Poe. Not because of something like this.”

/

Poe nervously smoothed out imaginary wrinkles from his dress uniform for the 30th time and picked at some equally imaginary lint. Since his father wouldn’t come he had asked Leia to walk him down the aisle but she was late or at least that was what it felt like. In truth he had another ten minutes.

He wondered if Finn felt as nervous as he was. Even though there wasn’t much to be nervous about. He didn’t have any doubts about marrying Finn. But what if Finn had doubt? What if Finn wasn’t going to be there?

His panicking was interrupted by the door being opened. Leia walked in followed by…

“Dad?” Poe asked disbelievingly.

“It’s good to see you”, Kes said. “You look good.” He crossed the room and hugged his son tightly. “I’m sorry, Poe”, he said. “Can you forgive your father for being a stubborn idiot?”

“Of course”, Poe smiled. “You’re here, aren’t you? And you’re willing to give Finn a chance?”

“I’m trusting your instincts”, Kes said and as he looked at his son he wondered how he could’ve been so blind. Poe was nearly vibrating with happiness, although part of it was also nervousness. Kes remembered his wedding day all too well. He had been scared that Shara had changed her mind at the last moment.

“I wish your mother could see you right now”, Kes said. “She’d be proud. I know I am.”

“Dad, I – “Poe began but BB8 choose that moment to roll in and tell them everything was ready. When he saw Kes he whirred menacingly.

“It’s okay, BB8”, Poe said. 

“I came here to apologise”, Kes told BB8, knowing how protective he was of Poe. 

BB8’s answering beep was very sceptical but he seemed to accept Poe’s approval of his father’s presence.

Kes held out his arm. “You’re ready?”

“I’m ready.”

The layout was such that Finn and Poe would come in from different sides of the room and meet in the middle where Leia stood. So when the doors opened Kes saw Finn immediately. The first thing he noticed was that Finn was wearing Poe’s jacket. There was probably a story behind that and he was looking forward to hearing it. 

The second thing he noticed was that Finn was a very good looking young man. And that he had only eyes for Poe. Kes didn’t think that Finn would’ve noticed if Kylo Ren had walked Poe down the aisle. As soon as their eyes met everyone else seemed to cease to exist for them. The girl who walked Finn down the aisle from the opposite room had to be Rey, Luke’s new student.

As he took his place next to Chewbacca and Luke, Luke smiled and said knowingly, “It’s good to see you.”

“You, too”, Kes replied.

It was a beautiful ceremony even though Kes was sure that neither Poe nor Finn would remember much of it. The only thing he could remember from his own wedding had been Shara and nothing but Shara. Theirs had been a wartime wedding too, back on Yavin shortly before the Rebellion had been forced to abandon their base there. She had worn a long red dress and flowers in her hair. 

She would’ve kicked his ass for fighting with Poe about this, Kes thought as he watched his son recite his wedding vows. 

/

After the ceremony Kes saw Poe pulling Finn towards him. They were interrupted by well-wishers and so Kes had enough time to think about what he would say. 

“Finn, that’s my dad.” Poe said and the momentary look of panic on Finn’s face followed by determination amused Kes.

“It’s good to meet you, Finn”, Kes said and offered his hand. “Poe told me you saved his life.”

Finn took his hand. “We saved each other, sir.” The adoring look he gave Poe helped to erase the last doubts Kes had.

“None of that, Finn. We’re family. You can call me Kes.”

“Thank you, sir…I mean Kes.”

“I’m sorry I thought so badly of you, Finn. And I hope you’ll give me a chance to make up for it.”

“You were just trying to do what was best for Poe”, Finn replied.

“Which you are”, Kes said firmly. “Now go and enjoy your party. We have time to catch up later.”

“Thanks, Dad”, Poe said quietly just before Finn pulled him onto the dancefloor.

Leia appeared next to him, smiling.

“Are you going to tell me, ‘I told you so’?”

“I wasn’t”, Leia replied. “But I told you so.”

**Author's Note:**

> Find me [ here](http://smaragdbird.tumblr.com/) on tumblr


End file.
